Lilly Singh Shuts Down the Patriarchy with Female Empowerment Rap to Kick Off Late-Night Premiere

On the one hand, it's a little annoying that Lilly Singh had to make a statement about forcing her voice to be heard in late-night in 2019, but at the same time, we are still jamming to the ingenious rap she kicked off her premiere episode with.

"A Little Late with Lilly Singh" kicked off with the YouTube sensation walking into a staid boardroom filled with white guys in various shades of gray and blue with all kinds of great ideas for her new show. Like, how about she wear a gray suit and do a monologue about topical, political topics.

It was a remarkably bold way for her to make her television debut, by smacking down the very reality that probably still exists across much of entertainment, an the corporate world in general.

Singh even took time to shout-out her show's emphasis on diversity and inclusion beyond just the host, rapping, "My writers' room look like a mini-United Nations/More than 50 percent women and people of all races/And that's not because I had to, it's because I could/This the new standard so take note Hollywood."

She boldly proclaimed her background as a Canadian of Indian descent and even proudly put out that she "put B in LGBT/I'll take Sansa and her brother."

She absolutely slayed this rap, both in the brilliance of its lyrics and the commanding presentation. If this is indicative of what she can bring to late night, NBC is more than lucky to have her. She brings a perspective and energy totally different than Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, and her more subversive, vibrant and energetic style is a great fit for the later shift.

Earlier in the night, Singh dropped by her network pal's shows, sharing with Jimmy Fallon some of the inconveniences she's faced trying to share a late-night space with a boys club ... and some of the challenges the network faced trying to work with a female late-night host.

"It was suggested to me that I should do a single fitting for all 96 outfits," Singh said, noting that her show had a 96-episode commitment. "I'm like, sorry what? Because that would be like a four-day fitting."

In her song, she rapped that she's about to lead the way with her pedicured toe, but she told Fallon that she was actually told that manicures were not in the budget. And why not? "Because the other late-night hosts don't have one," she marveled. "Because you and Seth don't get manicures, I'm not allowed to get a manicure."

Fallon decided this was an absolute outrage and hoped that Singh paves the way for free mani-pedis for all three of them.

But perhaps the biggest shock for Singh was finding out that not only was she taping her first two episodes back-to-back, but that they wanted her to complete her wardrobe change between the shows in 15 minutes. "I was like, it takes me 20 minutes to get my spanx on and off," she said. "I don't know how you gonna 15 minutes for me to change. Are you kidding me?"

Got a story or a tip for us? Email TooFab editors at tips@toofab.com.